Homines libenter quod volunt credunt
Posted in Development on May 7th, 2013
I surely am happy to see the US turn itself into what Mark Perry calls, “Saudi America” through its continued development of its oil and gas resources. And while I am nonetheless (even if this had not happened) not worried about “Peak” Oil or Peak Anything for that matter. Nonetheless, I am NOT optimistic that […]
Posted in Development, Economic Illiteracy, Environment, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 26th, 2013
This could be a very long post so I think I’ll split it into several over the next few months. Get into a discussion with folks on water and a few short sentences is all it will take before the rhetorical club if “social justice” is used to stifle discussion. At the risk of wasting […]
Posted in Development, Economic Illiteracy, ethical foundations, History on Jan 7th, 2013
Lots to chew on in Mark Goldman’s excellent history of Buffalo in City on the Edge. my favorite parts thus far include learning about the many ethnic neighborhoods that attracted Poles, Italians, and Jewish immigrants to work in the mills, factories, etc. There was even a famous Rizzo from Palermo (my dad’s family is from […]
Posted in Development, Institutions on Sep 11th, 2012
The Fabian Socialists famously thought that the science of socialism was so sound that there would be no need for people to take up arms to overthrow capitalism – people would just naturally turn to it as they saw the truth. In no small bit of irony, the London School of Economics was founded by […]
Posted in Development on Dec 17th, 2011
My local town is run incredibly well. Our school taxes are high but that is because folks are rich where I live (among other reasons). What is most impressive is how well the towns themselves are run, the level of amenities they provide and the quality of the services they provide, based on the tax […]
Posted in Development, Inequality, Voluntary Society on Nov 15th, 2011
Just finished a book called Company Town: The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills that Shaped the American Economy. I was uninspired by the book, but it did contain several interesting histories of companies such as Kohler, Hormel, Corning and Hershey that people may find useful. One theme that is woven throughout the book, but not […]
Posted in Development, Religion on Nov 6th, 2011
No particularly deep point here … but I contend that if we took every single dollar of taxation and instead directed it to religious institutions, we’d be a heck of a lot poorer today than otherwise. I used to think precisely the opposite.
Posted in Development, History on Jun 10th, 2011
(wintercow: This is part 2 of a series from guest blogger Michael Marotta). Detroit was unimportant when the Federal Reserve Board was created in 1912. Federal Reserve Banks were established in Cleveland and Chicago, also both St. Louis and Kansas City; but, like the entire West between Dallas and San Francisco, Michigan was still an economic […]
Posted in Development, History on Jun 9th, 2011
(wintercow: I have asked Michael Marotta to put together a few posts on his observations from living in Michigan, this is part 1 of a 2 part series) Every Labor Day since 1961, several thousand Michiganders walk across the Mackinac (rhymes with Saginaw; honest) Bridge that ties the “U.P.” (Upper Peninsula) with the “Mitten” (Lower […]
Posted in Development on Dec 9th, 2010
In today’s headlines: Another 17 of America’s richest people, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, junk bond pioneer Michael Milken and AOL co-founder Steve Case, have pledged to give away most of their wealth. … those who pledge are committing to give away at least half of their wealth to philanthropic causes either before or after they […]
